"The Beginner's Goodbye"

In case you’re interested, my review of Anne Tyler’s new novel, “The Beginner’s Goodbye” is up other at Truthdig.com.  You can click here to read it. I just got back from Ottawa, where I was at the “Politics & the Pen” gala dinner, which raises money for the Writers Trust of Canada, and then over…

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Music Of The Spheres (cerebrally speaking)

Students often ask me how I manage to get to the page.  They want to know if I light candles, do yoga, drink coffee, read poetry . . . I answer yes to pretty much everything, although I do none of those things consistently.  (And besides, I’m not sure any such advice is helpful to…

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The Dirty Dozen

I was asked by OPEN BOOK TORONTO to share 12 unexpected things about myself.  Here are the first three: I cook a really mean lamb tagine (and will share the recipe if you want it.) I have a secret crush on Vin Diesel. I also have a secret crush on Jeremy Irons. I think there’s…

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The Shadow In The Mirror

I recently wrote an essay for “The 49th Shelf” about what happens when we think in terms of “us versus them,” a subject close to my heart, since it’s the theme of my recent novel, OUR DAILY BREAD. Here’s the beginning of it: At a dinner party recently, someone brought up the topic of Israel…

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Endings . . .

“Open Book Toronto” asked me, and a few other writer types, to talk about how to write endings.  After pondering the question. . . . well, click here to find out what I said.  Hint:  It’s good to have one!

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At The Mercy Of Our Perceptions . . .

Well, OUR DAILY BREAD is out in Canada now, and I’m delighted with the Canadian edition.  Beautiful new cover, deckle edges, French flaps.  I think Harper Collins has done a terrific job, and so far the response from readers has been good. Which means, of course, I have to start thinking about what I’m going…

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